Coming into this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen, there was an expectation that Shane Van Gisbergen’s incredible advantage on the road courses wouldn’t be as prominent, as the 2.45-mile road course has been a staple on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for many years.
That expectation ended up being a misconception, though, as the Auckland, New Zealand-native put down a dominant performance in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, earning his fourth NASCAR Cup Series win of 2025 and the fifth of his career.
Post-Race Resources:
Race Results: 2025 NCS Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen
Updated Points: Driver Standings | Owner Standings | Rookie Standings | Manufacturer Standings
“Good to get that one back,” Van Gisbergen said after being asked about last season’s event at Watkins Glen. “Thank everyone for coming out. What an awesome race. The last stint was a bit cleared out, but the battle coming back through, I had a lot of fun. The car was just amazing again. To get another win, and I definitely gave that bus stop wall another meter on that last lap.”
One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was Van Gisbergen getting nipped by Ryan Blaney in Saturday’s qualifying session, which allowed the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion to lead the field to green and lead the first 18 laps of the race, as Van Gisbergen chilled behind him and saved his tires.
After the first wave of strategy cycled itself out, Van Gisbergen took over the race lead for the first time at Lap 25, just after the restart to begin the race’s second stage and paced the entire segment. From there, the strategies converged, as the Trackhouse Racing driver flipped the second stage, whereas Blaney, the polesitter, stayed on track.
Blaney would nearly run his fuel tank dry, running until Lap 56, whereas Van Gisbergen would stay on the racetrack for another seven laps. With less than 30 laps to go, the driver of the WeatherTech Chevrolet found himself in the race lead with a tire advantage, setting sail on the rest of the field.
When the checkered flag was displayed at the end of the 90-lap contest, Van Gisbergen held an incredible 11.116-second advantage over runner-up finisher Christopher Bell, who used new tires to surge towards the front of the pack in the closing laps.
Chris Buescher, the defending race-winner at Watkins Glen International, chose to take points early in the race with a strategy call, but still found himself in position to score a third-place result. William Byron had a solid afternoon and finished fourth, while Chase Briscoe rounded out the top five in fifth.
Ryan Blaney slipped to sixth during the final stage of the race, with Daniel Suarez in seventh, 23XI Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick in eighth and ninth, and Ross Chastain rounding out the top-10.
The race, in terms of on-track action, was rather uneventful with only three cautions – two for the stage ends and another for debris on Lap 30. Throughout the entire 90-lap contest, there were five on-track incidents that happened.
With a top-five result for William Byron and a finish outside the top-25 for Chase Elliott, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet extended his regular-season points lead to 42 markers with only two events remaining in the regular season.
The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Richmond Raceway for the penultimate event of the regular season, with coverage of the event on Saturday, August 16 at 7:30 pm ET on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
